Self Help Groups: An Approach for Economic Empowerment of Rural Women in India

Abstract

The concept of Self Help Groups (SHGs) is a helpful instrument for the economic empowerment of women. As Haryana is one of the developed states of India, however, the growth and share of Haryana’s SHG is very marginal in total SHGs of India. The empowerment of women is crucial for the economic development of a nation and also plays a key role in building a base for change (Nandal et al. 2019). It generates income and also provides flexible working hours according to the needs of homemakers. To study the empowerment of women through entrepreneurial activities of self help groups, this particular research was conducted over the year 2015-16 with the specific objective to identify the income generating activities and investigate the effectiveness of SHGs actively working under the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hast Shilp Yojana (AHVY) in Haryana. Also, to analyze economic constraints faced by the women. The result showed positive change in indicators in terms of income, employment and savings after joining the SHG. Thus the study concluded that SHGs have been playing a vital role in the empowerment of rural women in the study area.